This summer even after graduation I was force to stay in the U.S. Fortunately as pathetic as the situation is (at the current state), I still manage to stay busy and be involved (though mostly just getting my life together and GET MY SHXT DOWN___). Anyway, during my not so boring summer I had a chance in exploring cities in the Bay where I rarely been or have not yet gone, and Berkeley is one of them! Today, I will be sharing my One Day East Bay Itinerary with you guys and my To-Go Checklists as your inspo in planning your adventures in the Great East Bay.

One Day East Bay Itinerary

• 08:00 am. Getting Ready for the Busy day
• 09:00 am. Heading Over to Em’s (@ Oakland, CA)
• 10:30 am. Arriving & Chilling
• 11:00 am. Brunch @ Berkeley Social Club (with reservations)
• 12:30 pm. Cup of Tea @ Asha Tea House
• 01:30 pm. University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley
• 03:00 pm. Big C
• 03:30 pm. Moe’s Books
• 04:00 pm. Third Culture Bakery
• 05:00 pm. Oakland Lake Merritt
• 06:00 pm. Morcom Rose Garden
• 07:30 pm. Grand Lake Theater
  • End up watching Lion King
• 09:30 pm. Finally Heading Back Home

If Itinerary is all you need, you are in luck cuz I have planned out all the location I wanted to visit and we actually end up following the entire schedule. None of the items on the list were delay so I think the above itinerary is definitely doable. As for the rest of the blog I will be sharing some pictures of the places and wether the place is worth visiting or not.

Berkeley Social Club

For years I been wanting to visit this amazingly cute brunch place. I was to nervous that I couldn’t get into the place when I arrived at Berkeley, so I make a reservation for brunch weeks beforehand. However, it turned out I was overthinking the entire process. Not only there wasn’t any line await, Social Club is so spacious that they definitely have more than enough space for all the customer.

I gotta say Social Club for sure lived up the hype. The overall vibe of the store are nice and homey, the food are taste and artsy, and the service is one of the best of all the brunch experience I had in the past. For my first visit, I ordered a Mascarpone Blueberry Stuffed Crunch French Toast while my friend ordered a Salmon Avocado Toast. As you can see in the pics the food is absolutely stunning that I almost feel wrong eating it. Salmon Avocado Toast is classic and basic (which I am sure you could probable make one at home). For the Crunch French Toast, the fruits on top is delicious and the french toast are crunchy and sweet at the same time. I really enjoy the texture of meal, but the sweetness of the toast are too overwhelming for me to finish the entire plate.

Other things I would love to try but have not yet had the chance is their morning cocktail and mimosa series. I saw their drinks on Yelp and I been dying to want to try them; unfortunately, I had a full day planed ahead and I was going to the Tea House right after so I saved up my drinking quarter for later.

Worthy It Degree: 9/10

Asha Tea House

I have to say this is my FAVORITE TEA PLACE in the Bay of ALL TIME.

This place is 100 out of 10, I definitely recommend you to visit or at least give it a try. To me this is the BEST part of my entire East Bay trip. Asha Tea House is located near UC Berkeley, and only 1 block away from the Social Club. The overall store are modern and quiet. This place as free wifi, nature sunlight and lots of seating. If I lived nearby, I could definitely see myself studying at the Tea House whole day everyday.

I order the Seasonal Menu Sparkle Matcha, which surprisingly I did enjoy. The matcha flavor are strong and bitter with the bubbly sparkle water, the overall taste is interesting (in the good way). Right after I order my drink, i saw the tea set menu where people could enjoy either Chinese, English or Japanese set tea at the Tea House. I was so mad for not seeing the Tea Set Menu earlier but you know what this is the sign for coming back soon next time.

Worthy It Degree: 10/10

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

The Botanical Garden are located up on the hills within UC Berkeley’s campus. (You could either drive up or take the Campus Bus if you don’t have a vehicle). I really enjoy my ride up to the Garden because I get to see the classroom building as well the dormitory area. There are pay parking in front of the Botanical Garden, and the Garden also required entrance fees for non-cal citizen and non-senior and children. Luckily, they do have student discount so remember to bring your student ID with you then you could get $10 off on the original price.

The garden itself was much bigger than I thought you could easily spent two hours here. There are wide rage of plants, included the deserts 🌵 and flower to high latitudes pine 🌲 and more. I been carefully walked through the entire Garden and I very much enjoy the experience. Unfortunately, I pick the wrong season to visit, so beside trees and leaves, there are barely any flowers (which I love). Thus, if you are planning to visit please please please make sure you search up the seasonal view before hand. If the right season, I believe I would love the overall trip more.

Personally, I think the Botanical Garden is a hit or miss for certainly people. If you enjoyed nature and hiking then I would say go for it; otherwise, the cost for the parking and tickets it might not be that worthy.

Worthy It Degree: 6/10

Big C

On my way to Big C, my friend and I ran into soo many difficulties. First, we are not allow to follow the Google Map because the route show on the map will cross by UC Berkeley restriction area. Moreover the route the guard provide us are really confusing that it took us a while to get on the right path. Secondly, the parking lot for Big C are not label clearly and the space are very limited.

However, even with all these trouble, the final view at Big C is so breathtaking that all the hardship are definitely worthy. Being able to see beyond the hills and foreseeing the entire city are just Satisfied to me. Moreover, there are an old swing hanging on the tree where you could be creatives and capture your insta pics.

Worthy It Degree: 10/10

Moe’s Books

I am a total bookwarm, so wherever I go there will also be a bookstores.

Moe’s Book sales lots of second-hand 📚 in the store, and their collections of books are beyond my imagination. Even though judging from the outside the book store looks old and tiny, as you walked inside it was like walking into the camping tent in Harry Potter. The entire bookstore has 5 stories, up 4 and down 1. From historical documentaries and literature to modern fashion looks book. They also have a complete collections on piano sheets. The staff at the bookstore are extremely nice and knowledgeable and they could give you the BEST book recommendation you would every get (maybe a bit extreme but YES!)

Worthy It Degree: 9/10

Third Culture

Third Culture is one of the most exciting activities on my East Bay Getaway itinerary, but if I am complete honest with you I don’t love it. This place is definitely popular for the teens and famous for its insta artsy. However, there is not indoor seating and even with the outdoor one there are just couple high chairs with no table.

As for the deserts, they have mochi donuts and cupcake in various flavors. The presentations of the donuts 🍩 are absolutely adorable, as well as the cupcake. Yet, to me, I personally don’t enjoy the texture of the deserts, as well as the overwhelming sweetness as I ate the dessert. A bit of a disappointment to me, but my friend really enjoy the place and the sweet. I am sure she would definitely want to come back sometime soon. If you have not yet visit, not hesitate and come try first maybe you would fall in love with Third Culture.

Worthy It Degree: 5/10

Lake Merritt

This is actually my second time visiting Lake Merritt. My first time was two years ago when I visited Em and her family. Even with two years apart, Lake Merritt is still as beautiful as the way it used to. When the sun shined through and reflected on the lake, the view became so surreal and the entire city are glowingly.

Lake Merritt is HUGE and sadly I only get to walk over part of the lake. Evening time during golden hour are just so perfect to visit because there are soo many activities going on at the moment. Old couples taking an early walk, Family playing Frisbee on the side, dancers rehearsing their moves for the upcoming showcase, street artists performing their talented for entertainment.

Worthy It Degree: 7.5/10

Morcom Rose Garden

Morcom Rose Garden is an flawless rose garden located nearby Lake Merritt. This is actually my second time visit this garden and the view of the garden are just as perfect the way it used to be. Em told me lots of high school students would go to Morcom and take prom pictures each year. I really like the layout of the garden and the rose are still blossoms, the only things that bother me is the shade causing by the nearby hills. Morcom is surround by tall trees and hills, as me visiting around evening time the shade among the garden make it low key hard to capture the perfect pics.

Worthy It Degree: 8/10

Grand Lake Theater

Originally, I wanted to go to the Grand Lake Theater because I saw online that there will be live musical play. However, as I arrived, I found out the live musical play only happened on the second Tuesday of the month 😶. However, luckily Em used to work at the theater and the wall within have lots of historical patterns and designs.

Worthy It Degree: 7/10

Movie: Lion King

When I first watched the movie Lion 👑 King as a little girl, I immediately fall in love with the sound tracks and the plot. I couldn’t get enough of the same music and finally experience the magic in person at Broadway in 2017 when I visited New York. Although I heard some extreme reviews for Lion King life action, to me this movie is definitely worth my time and the money.

Worthy It Degree: 10/10